U.S. patent application number 17/086690 was filed with the patent office on 2021-06-10 for derailleur shifting system.
The applicant listed for this patent is TEKTRO TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Hsun-Yu CHUANG.
Application Number | 20210172516 17/086690 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005211790 |
Filed Date | 2021-06-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210172516 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHUANG; Hsun-Yu |
June 10, 2021 |
DERAILLEUR SHIFTING SYSTEM
Abstract
A derailleur shifting system comprise a front derailleur, a rear
derailleur, an operating device and a controller. The front
derailleur is configured to be controlled to shift among front gear
positions. The rear derailleur is configured to be controlled to
shift among rear gear positions. The operating device is configured
to generate an operational instruction associated with one or both
of the front derailleur and the rear derailleur. The controller is
configured to control one or both of the front derailleur and the
rear derailleur to shift according to the operational instruction,
an estimated gear position table and a gear position control table.
The estimated gear position table comprises an estimated front gear
position of the front derailleur and an estimated rear gear
position of the rear derailleur, and the gear position control
table comprises matching relationships between the front gear
positions and the rear gear positions.
Inventors: |
CHUANG; Hsun-Yu; (Changhua
County, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
TEKTRO TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION |
Changhua County |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005211790 |
Appl. No.: |
17/086690 |
Filed: |
November 2, 2020 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B62M 25/08 20130101;
B62M 9/12 20130101; F16H 2061/0223 20130101; F16H 61/0213
20130101 |
International
Class: |
F16H 61/02 20060101
F16H061/02; B62M 9/12 20060101 B62M009/12; B62M 25/08 20060101
B62M025/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 4, 2019 |
TW |
108144316 |
Claims
1. A derailleur shifting system, comprising: a front derailleur
configured to be controlled to shift among a plurality of front
gear positions; a rear derailleur configured to be controlled to
shift among a plurality of rear gear positions; an operating device
configured to generate an operational instruction associated with
one or both of the front derailleur and the rear derailleur; and a
controller connected with the operating device, the front
derailleur and the rear derailleur, and configured to control one
or both of the front derailleur and the rear derailleur to shift
according to the operational instruction, an estimated gear
position table and a gear position control table; wherein the
estimated gear position table comprises an estimated front gear
position of the front derailleur and an estimated rear gear
position of the rear derailleur, and the gear position control
table comprises matching relationships between the plurality of
front gear positions of the front derailleur and the plurality of
rear gear positions of the rear derailleur.
2. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 1, wherein
controlling one or both of the front derailleur and the rear
derailleur to shift according to the operational instruction, the
estimated gear position table and the gear position control table
performed by the controller comprises: modifying the estimated gear
position table according to the operational instruction; when the
modified estimated gear position table does not conform to the gear
position control table, further modifying the estimated gear
position table; and controlling one or both of the front derailleur
and the rear derailleur to shift according to the further modified
estimated gear position table.
3. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 1, wherein the
operational instruction indicates shifting information of the rear
derailleur, and controlling one or both of the front derailleur and
the rear derailleur to shift according to the operational
instruction, the estimated gear position table and the gear
position control table performed by the controller comprises:
obtaining a target rear gear position at least according to the
operational instruction, wherein the target rear gear position is
one of the plurality of rear gear positions; when determining that
the estimated front gear position does not conform with the gear
position control table according to the target rear gear position,
selecting a target front gear position from the plurality of front
gear positions according to the target rear gear position and the
gear position control table; and controlling the front derailleur
to shift according to the target front gear position, and
controlling the rear derailleur to shift according to the target
rear gear position.
4. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 3, wherein the
shifting information comprises a rear gear position switching
instruction, and the controller is further configured to obtain the
target rear gear position according to the rear gear position
switching instruction and the estimated rear gear position.
5. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 1, wherein the
operational instruction indicates shifting information of the front
derailleur, and controlling one or both of the front derailleur and
the rear derailleur to shift according to the operational
instruction, the estimated gear position table and the gear
position control table performed by the controller comprises:
obtaining a target sprocket at least according to the operational
instruction; selecting a target front gear position from the
plurality of front gear positions according to the target sprocket,
the estimated rear gear position and the gear position control
table; and controlling the front derailleur to shift according to
the target front gear position.
6. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 5, wherein the
shifting information comprises a sprocket switching instruction,
and the controller is further configured to obtain the target
sprocket according to the sprocket switching instruction and the
estimated front gear position.
7. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 1, wherein the
operational instruction indicates shifting information of the front
derailleur and shifting information of the rear derailleur, and
controlling one or both of the front derailleur and the rear
derailleur to shift according to the operational instruction, the
estimated gear position table and the gear position control table
performed by the controller comprises: obtaining a target sprocket
and a target rear gear position at least according to the
operational instruction, wherein the target rear gear position is
one of the plurality of rear gear positions; selecting a target
front gear position from the plurality of front gear positions
according to the target sprocket, the target rear gear position and
the gear position control table; and controlling the front
derailleur to shift according to the target front gear position,
and controlling the rear derailleur to shift according to the
target rear gear position.
8. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 7, wherein the
shifting information of the front derailleur comprises a sprocket
switching instruction, the shifting information of the rear
derailleur comprises a rear gear position switching instruction,
and the controller is further configured to obtain the target
sprocket according to the sprocket switching instruction and the
estimated front gear position, and to obtain the target rear gear
position according to the rear gear position switching instruction
and the estimated rear gear position.
9. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 1, applied to
a bicycle comprising a sprocket group and a chain, wherein the
sprocket group comprises a first sprocket and a second sprocket,
the chain is controlled by the front derailleur to switch to mesh
with the first sprocket or the second sprocket, and the plurality
of front gear positions comprises first gear positions belonging to
the first sprocket and second gear positions belonging to the
second sprocket.
10. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 1, wherein
the controller is disposed on a handlebar of a bicycle.
11. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 1, wherein
the controller and the front derailleur are integrated and disposed
on a bicycle frame.
12. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 1, wherein
the controller is connected, via wireless communication technology,
with one or more of the operating device, the front derailleur and
the rear derailleur.
13. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 1, further
comprising a gear position detector that is connected with the
controller and configured to detect a actual rear gear position of
the rear derailleur, wherein when determining that the actual rear
gear position does not conform to the estimated rear gear position
or that a relationship between the actual rear gear position and
the estimated front gear position does not conform to the gear
position control table, the controller controls the front
derailleur or the rear derailleur to shift so as to make the
relationship conform to the gear position control table.
14. A derailleur shifting system, comprising: a front derailleur
configured to be controlled to shift among a plurality of front
gear positions; a rear derailleur configured to be controlled to
shift among a plurality of rear gear positions; an operating device
configured to generate an operational instruction associated with
one or both of the front derailleur and the rear derailleur; and a
controller connected with the operating device, the front
derailleur and the rear derailleur, and configured to generate a
first control signal and a second control signal, to transmit the
first control signal to the front derailleur, and to transmit the
second control signal to the rear derailleur; wherein the first
control signal is associated with the second control signal.
15. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 14, wherein
the front derailleur comprises: a derailing component; and a
control circuit connected with the derailing component, and
configured to selectively control the derailing component to shift
at least according to the first control signal and a gear position
control table; wherein the gear position control table comprises
matching relationships between the plurality of front gear
positions of the front derailleur and the plurality of rear gear
positions of the rear derailleur.
16. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 15, wherein
the operational instruction indicates shifting information of the
rear derailleur, each of the first control signal and the second
control signal comprises the shifting information, the rear
derailleur shifts according to the second control signal, and the
control circuit is configured to obtain a target rear gear position
at least according to the first control signal, and to select a
target front gear position from the plurality of front gear
positions according to the target rear gear position and the gear
position control table when determining that a current front gear
position of the front derailleur does not conform to the gear
position control table according to the target rear gear position,
and to control the derailing component to shift according to the
target front gear position, wherein the target rear gear position
is one of the plurality of rear gear positions.
17. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 16, wherein
the shifting information comprises a rear gear position switching
instruction, and the control circuit is further configured to
obtain the target rear gear position according to the rear gear
position switching instruction and an estimated rear gear position
of the rear derailleur.
18. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 15, wherein
the operational instruction indicates shifting information of the
front derailleur, each of the first control signal and the second
control signal comprises the shifting information, the control
circuit is configured to obtain a target sprocket at least
according to the first control signal, and to select a target front
gear position from the plurality of front gear positions according
to the target sprocket, an estimated rear gear position of the rear
derailleur and the gear position control table, and to control the
derailing component to shift according to the target front gear
position.
19. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 18, wherein
the shifting information comprises a sprocket switching
instruction, and the control circuit obtains the target sprocket
according to the sprocket switching instruction and a current front
gear position of the front derailleur.
20. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 15, wherein
the operational instruction indicates shifting information of the
front derailleur and shifting information of the rear derailleur,
each of the first control signal and the second control signal
comprises the shifting information of the front derailleur and the
shifting information of the rear derailleur, and the control
circuit is configured to obtain a target sprocket and a target rear
gear position according to the first control signal, to select a
target front gear position from the plurality of front gear
positions according to the target sprocket, the target rear gear
position and the gear position control table, and to control the
derailing component to shift according to the target front gear
position.
21. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 20, wherein
the shifting information of the front derailleur comprises a
sprocket switching instruction, the shifting information of the
rear derailleur comprises a rear gear position switching
instruction, and the control circuit is further configured to
obtain the target sprocket according to the sprocket switching
instruction and an estimated front gear position of the front
derailleur, and to obtain the target rear gear position according
to the rear gear position switching instruction and an estimated
rear gear position of the rear derailleur.
22. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 14, applied
to a bicycle comprising a sprocket group and a chain, wherein the
sprocket group comprises a first sprocket and a second sprocket,
the chain is controlled by the front derailleur to switch to mesh
with the first sprocket or the second sprocket, and the plurality
of front gear positions comprises first gear positions belonging to
the first sprocket and second gear positions belonging to the
second sprocket.
23. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 14, wherein
the controller is disposed on a handlebar of a bicycle.
24. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 14, wherein
the controller and the front derailleur are integrated and disposed
on a bicycle frame.
25. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 14, wherein
the controller is connected, via wireless communication technology,
with one or more of the operating device, the front derailleur and
the rear derailleur.
26. The derailleur shifting system according to claim 15, further
comprising a gear position detector that is connected with the
control circuit and configured to detect a actual rear gear
position of the rear derailleur, wherein the control circuit is
further configured to obtain the actual rear gear position, to
control the front derailleur or the rear derailleur to shift when
determining that the actual rear gear position does not conform to
the estimated rear gear position or that a relationship between the
actual rear gear position and the estimated front gear position
does not conform to the gear position control table, so as to make
the relationship conform to the gear position control table.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This non-provisional application claims priority under 35
U.S.C. .sctn. 119(a) on Patent Application No(s). 108144316 filed
in Taiwan (R.O.C.) on Dec. 4, 2019, the entire contents of which
are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field
[0002] This disclosure relates to a derailleur shifting system, and
particularly to a derailleur shifting system applied to a
bicycle.
2. Related Art
[0003] In the conventional mechanical speed change system, the gear
ratio is changed by manually pulling a shift cable. After long-term
use, it must cause problems such as the tension of the shift cable
and even the damage of the shift cable. Therefore, with the
development of electronic control technology, an electronic speed
change system was invented. By using electronic signals to control
the gear positions of derailleurs, the smoothness and stability of
shifting are improved.
[0004] However, in the existing electronic derailleur shifting
system and method, when an operator inputs an operational
instruction for shifting, a controller in the system will ask the
derailleur for the actual gear position of the derailleur or wait
for the derailleur to return the actual gear position, and
accordingly control the derailleur to shift. As a result, the
control of the gear position cannot be real-time, and when the gear
position detector that detects the actual gear position is
abnormal, the system cannot provide the gear position control
corresponding to the operational instruction.
SUMMARY
[0005] Accordingly, this disclosure provides a derailleur shifting
system.
[0006] According to an embodiment of this disclosure, a derailleur
shifting system comprise a front derailleur, a rear derailleur, an
operating device and a controller, wherein the controller is
connected with the operating device, the front derailleur and the
rear derailleur. The front derailleur is configured to be
controlled to shift among a plurality of front gear positions. The
rear derailleur is configured to be controlled to shift among a
plurality of rear gear positions. The operating device is
configured to generate an operational instruction associated with
one or both of the front derailleur and the rear derailleur. The
controller is configured to control one or both of the front
derailleur and the rear derailleur to shift according to the
operational instruction, an estimated gear position table and a
gear position control table. The estimated gear position table
comprises an estimated front gear position of the front derailleur
and an estimated rear gear position of the rear derailleur, and the
gear position control table comprises matching relationships
between the plurality of front gear positions of the front
derailleur and the plurality of rear gear positions of the rear
derailleur.
[0007] According to another embodiment of this disclosure, a
derailleur shifting system comprises a front derailleur, a rear
derailleur, an operating device and a controller, wherein the
controller is connected with the operating device, the front
derailleur and the rear derailleur. The front derailleur is
configured to be controlled to shift among a plurality of front
gear positions. The rear derailleur is configured to be controlled
to shift among a plurality of rear gear positions. The operating
device is configured to generate an operational instruction
associated with one or both of the front derailleur and the rear
derailleur. The controller is configured to generate a first
control signal and a second control signal, to transmit the first
control signal to the front derailleur, and to transmit the second
control signal to the rear derailleur, wherein the first control
signal is associated with the second control signal.
[0008] In view of the above statement, when the derailleur shifting
system provided in this disclosure receives an operational
instruction, it may immediately refer to the matching relationships
between the front gear positions and the rear gear positions to
control the front derailleur and/or the rear derailleur to shift,
without waiting for the rear derailleur to return the actual gear
position. Therefore, it may achieve a real-time gear position
control, and avoid chain wear caused since the rear derailleur
shifts first and then returns the actual gear position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The present disclosure will become more fully understood
from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the
accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only
and thus are not limitative of the present disclosure and
wherein:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a derailleur
shifting system according to an embodiment of this disclosure;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of gear positions of a
derailleur shifting system according to an embodiment of this
disclosure;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method for controlling gear
positions of derailleurs according to an embodiment of this
disclosure;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for controlling gear
positions of derailleurs according to another embodiment of this
disclosure;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of a front derailleur
of a derailleur shifting system according to an embodiment of this
disclosure;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a method for controlling gear
positions of derailleurs according to yet another embodiment of
this disclosure;
[0016] FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of a derailleur
shifting system according to another embodiment of this
disclosure;
[0017] FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a method for controlling gear
positions of derailleurs according to yet another embodiment of
this disclosure; and
[0018] FIGS. 9A-9C are schematic diagrams of signal transmission of
bicycles to which a derailleur shifting system is applied according
to multiple embodiments of this disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] In the following detailed description, for purposes of
explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to
provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It
will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be
practiced without these specific details. In other instances,
well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order
to simplify the drawings.
[0020] Please refer to FIG. 1 that is a functional block diagram of
a derailleur shifting system according to an embodiment of this
disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, a derailleur shifting system 1,
also referred to as speed change system, comprises a front
derailleur 11, a rear derailleur 13, an operating device 15 and a
controller 17, wherein the controller 17 is connected with the
front derailleur 11, the rear derailleur 13 and the operating
device 15, and the connections between these devices can each be
wireless or wired. More particularly, one or more of these devices
can each have a wireless signal transceiver, and the wireless
signal transceiver of the controller 17 can have a communication
connection with the wireless signal transceiver of other device.
For example, the wireless signal transceiver can be a device using
infrared communication technology (e.g. RC-5, VFIR, UFIR, etc.),
Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, ZigBee, ANT, wireless LAN,
etc.
[0021] The front derailleur 11, also referred to as front speed
changer, comprises at least a derailing component and can be
controlled to shift among a number of front gear positions. The
rear derailleur 13, also referred to as rear speed changer,
comprises at least a derailing component and can be controlled to
shift among a number of rear gear positions. The structures of the
derailing components included in the front derailleur 11 and the
rear derailleur 13 are not limited in this disclosure, and they are
known to a person having ordinary skill in the art, so they are not
described in detail here. The operating device 15 is configured to
generate an operational instruction associated with one or both of
the front derailleur 11 and the rear derailleur 13. The controller
17 can control one or both of the front derailleur 11 and the rear
derailleur 13 to shift according to the operational instruction and
the information stored inside, or capture the shifting information
contained in the operational instruction as two control signals
directly or after initially processed, and transmit the two control
signals to the front derailleur 11 and the rear derailleur 13
respectively. The detailed control method is described later.
[0022] The derailleur shifting system 1 can be applied to a bicycle
that comprises a left handlebar, a right handlebar, a sprocket
group, a cogset and a chain. In an embodiment, the sprocket group
can comprise a first sprocket and a second sprocket that have
different radii and, for example, called small chainring and large
chainring; the cogset can comprises sprockets that have different
radii; the chain is connected between the sprocket group and the
cogset, and can be controlled by the front derailleur 11 to switch
to mesh with the first sprocket or the second sprocket of the
sprocket group, and controlled by the rear derailleur 13 to switch
to mesh with one of the sprockets of the cogset.
[0023] Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 together for a further
explanation of the front gear positions of the front derailleur 11
and the rear gear positions of the rear derailleur 13, wherein FIG.
2 is a schematic diagram of gear positions of the derailleur
shifting system 1 according to an embodiment of this disclosure,
and exemplarily shows the relative positions of the front gear
positions of the front derailleur 11 and the rear gear positions of
the rear derailleur 13 of the derailleur shifting system 1. As
shown in FIG. 2, the front gear positions of the front derailleur
11 can comprise first gear positions FP1 and second first gear
positions FP2, wherein the first gear positions FP1 belongs to the
first sprocket CW1 of the bicycle where the derailleur shifting
system 1 disposed and the second first gear positions FP2 belongs
to the second sprocket CW2 of the bicycle. More particularly, the
first gear positions FP1 (front gear positions 1-3) represent
fine-tuning positions as the chain is controlled by the front
derailleur 11 to mesh with the first sprocket CW1, and the second
gear positions FP2 (front gear positions 4-6) represent fine-tuning
positions as the chain is controlled by the front derailleur 11 to
mesh with the second sprocket CW2. The rear gear positions of the
rear derailleur 13 can comprise gear positions RP1 that can be
respectively called rear gear positions 1-11 and respectively
correspond to the sprockets of the cogset (not shown in the
figure), especially have a one-to-one relationship with the
sprockets. The number of the sprockets included in the sprocket
group and the number of the front and rear gear positions shown in
FIG. 2 are merely examples. In other embodiments, the sprocket
group can include more than two sprockets, and each sprocket can
correspond to two or more than three front gear positions of the
front derailleur 11, which are not limited in this disclosure.
[0024] In an embodiment, the operating device 15 can comprise two
speed change trigger components such as grip shifters, road bike
shifters, etc., and the two speed change trigger components
respectively correspond to the front derailleur 11 and the rear
derailleur 13 and can respectively generate the operational
instruction associated with the front derailleur 11 and the
operational instruction associated with the rear derailleur 13. The
two speed change trigger components can be respectively disposed
on/in the left handlebar and the right handlebar of the bicycle, or
disposed on/in the left handlebar or the right handlebar together,
which is not limited in this disclosure. In another embodiment, the
operating device 15 can comprise a touch panel or physical buttons
for a user to input the operational instruction associated with one
or both of the front derailleur 11 and the rear derailleur 13. The
touch panel or the physical buttons can be disposed on/in the stem
of bicycle or other areas that are convenient for the user to
operate, which is not limited in this disclosure.
[0025] The operational instruction generated by the operating
device 15 can comprise shifting information associated with the
front derailleur 11, the rear derailleur 13 or both of them. More
particularly, the shifting information associated with the front
derailleur 11 can comprise the information of a specified target
sprocket. In the embodiment where the sprocket group comprises the
first and second sprockets as aforementioned, the target sprocket
can be the first sprocket or the second sprocket. Or, the shifting
information associated with the front derailleur 11 can comprise a
sprocket switching instruction, for example, instructing the chain
to switch to mesh with the previous sprocket or take two sprockets
back, etc. On the other hand, the shifting information associated
with the rear derailleur 13 can comprise a specified target rear
gear position (e.g. the information specifying rear gear position
5) or a rear gear position switching instruction (e.g. the
instruction indicating taking one gear position forward or two gear
positions backward).
[0026] The controller 17 can be disposed on/in the handlebar, the
stem or other positions of the bicycle. In particular, the
controller 17 and the operating device 15 can be integrated and
disposed on/in the handlebar of the bicycle. Moreover, the
controller 17 can be disposed on/in the sprocket group or the
cogset. In particular, the controller 17 can be integrated with the
front derailleur 11 and disposed on/in the frame near the sprocket
group of the bicycle, or integrated with the rear derailleur 13 and
disposed on/in the frame near the cogset of the bicycle. Moreover,
the controller 17 can be integrated with the seat tube battery of
the bicycle. For example, an embedded controller (EC), a micro
control unit (MCU) or an application-specific integrated circuit
(ASIC) is adopted as the controller 17, but the hardware type of
the controller 17 is not limited to these. As above-mentioned, the
controller 17 can control one or both of the front derailleur 11
and the rear derailleur 13 to shift according to the operational
instruction and the information stored inside, and in the
embodiment using this shifting control method, the information
stored inside can be stored in a non-volatile memory built in the
controller 17 or a non-volatile memory connected with the
controller in the system. The information stored inside can
comprise an estimated gear position table and a gear position
control table.
[0027] The estimated gear position table comprises an estimated
front gear position of the front derailleur 11 and an estimated
rear gear position of the rear derailleur 13. More particularly,
the estimated front gear position and the estimated rear gear
position can each be set to a default value when the system leaves
the factory, and respectively represent the gear positions of the
front derailleur 11 and the rear derailleur 13 that are preset when
the system leaves the factory. The controller 17 can change the
values of the estimated front gear position and the estimated rear
gear position according to the user's operation after leaving the
factory. The gear position control table comprises matching
relationships between the front gear positions of the front
derailleur 11 and the rear gear positions of the rear derailleur
13. More particularly, the matching relationships indicate the
combinations of the front gear positions and the rear gear
positions that do not cause chain wear. Please refer to FIG. 2 and
Table 1 together, wherein Table 1 exemplarily shows the gear
position control table. The gear position control table as shown by
Table 1 corresponds to the schematic diagram of gear positions as
shown by FIG. 2, wherein front gear positions 1-3 (numbered in the
order of the first gear position FP1 far from the second first gear
position FP2 to the first gear position FP1 near the second first
gear position FP2 in FIG. 2) correspond to the first sprocket CW1
with the smaller radius in the sprocket group of the bicycle, and
front gear positions 4-6 (numbered in the order of the second first
gear position FP2 far from the first gear position FP1 to the
second first gear position FP2 near the first gear position FP1 in
FIG. 2) correspond to the second sprocket CW2 with the larger
radius in the sprocket group; rear gear positions 1-11 (numbered in
the order from the shortest gear position RP1 to the longest gear
position RP1) respectively correspond to the sprockets of the
cogset in the order of the sprocket with the smallest radius to the
sprocket with the largest radius. In other words, rear gear
position 1 corresponds to the sprocket with the smallest radius in
the cogset, and rear gear position 11 corresponds to the sprocket
with the largest radius in the cogset. It should be noted that
Table 1 is merely an example. In other embodiments, each sprocket
in the sprocket group can correspond to two or more than three
front gear positions, and the matching rear gear positions can be
set according to the actual mechanism design.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Front gear position Rear gear position 1 11,
10, 9, 8, 7 2 6, 5, 4 3 3, 2, 1 4 11, 10, 9, 8, 7 5 6, 5, 4 6 3, 2,
1
[0028] For a further explanation of the method used by the
controller 17 to control gear shifting according to the operational
instruction and the information stored inside, please refer to FIG.
1, FIG. 3 and Table 1 together, wherein FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a
method for controlling gear positions of derailleurs according to
an embodiment of this disclosure. The controller 17 can perform the
control method shown in FIG. 3. In steps S11 and S13 in FIG. 3, the
controller 17 receives an operational instruction from the
operating device 15, and determines whether the operational
instruction indicates shifting information of the front derailleur
11, the rear derailleur 13, or both of them. For different
determined results, the controller 17 can perform different control
procedures correspondingly. As shown in FIG. 3, when the
operational instruction indicates the shifting information of the
rear derailleur 13 (determined result RD), the corresponding
control procedure can comprise steps S151-S155; when the
operational instruction indicates the shifting information of the
front derailleur 11 (determined result FD), the corresponding
control procedure can comprise steps S251-S253; and when the
operational instruction indicates the shifting information of both
the front derailleur 11 and the rear derailleur 13 (determined
result FD&RD), the corresponding control procedure can comprise
steps S351-S353. Each of these control procedures is further
described in the following.
[0029] In step S151 in the control procedure corresponding to the
shifting information of the rear derailleur 13, the controller 17
can obtain a target rear gear position at least according to the
operational instruction. As aforementioned, the shifting
information of the rear derailleur 13 can comprise a specified
target rear gear position or a rear gear position switching
instruction. When the operational instruction indicates a target
rear gear position, the controller 17 can obtain the target rear
gear position therefrom. When the operational instruction indicates
a rear gear position switching instruction, the controller 17 can
obtain the target rear gear position according to this rear gear
position switching instruction and the estimated rear gear position
(i.e. the current rear gear position of the rear derailleur 13
considered by the controller 17) in the estimated gear position
table. For example, when the operational instruction instructs the
rear derailleur 13 to shift to the next gear position and the
estimated rear gear position indicates rear gear position 3, the
controller 17 considers rear gear position 4 to be the target rear
gear position.
[0030] In step S152, the controller 17 determines whether the
estimated front gear position in the estimated gear position table
conforms to the gear position control table according to the target
rear gear position. More specifically, the controller 17 can search
for the front gear position that has a matching relationship with
the rear gear position indicated by the target rear gear position,
and determine whether the estimated front gear position (i.e. the
current front gear position of the front derailleur 11 considered
by the controller 17) is the searched front gear positions. When
the determined result is positive ("yes"), indicating that the
estimated front gear position matches the target rear gear
position, the controller 17 controls the rear derailleur 13 to
shift according to the target rear gear position (step S153)
without adjusting the front gear position. When the determined
result is negative ("no"), the controller 17 selects a target front
gear position from the front gear positions according to the target
rear gear position and the gear position control table (step S154).
In the example using Table 1 as the gear position control table,
when the estimated rear gear position of the rear derailleur 13 is
rear gear position 3 and the target rear gear position determined
according to the operational instruction by the controller 17 is
rear gear position 4, since rear gear position 3 and rear gear
position 4 match different front gear positions, the controller 17
determines that the estimated front gear position (front gear
position 3 or 6) does not conform to the gear position control
table, and selects front gear position 2 or 5 that matches rear
gear position 4 to be the target front gear position. In
particular, the controller preferably selects the front gear
position that belongs to the same sprocket as the estimated front
gear position to be the target front gear position. In the above
example, when the estimated front gear position is front gear
position 3 originally, the controller 17 selects front gear
position 2 to be the target front gear position.
[0031] In step S155, the controller 17 controls the front
derailleur 11 to shift according to the selected target front gear
position, and controls the rear derailleur 13 to shift according to
the target rear gear position obtained from the operational
instruction. The control signal used by the controller 17 to
control the derailleur to shift can indicate a specified gear
position or the number of gear positions for shifting forward or
backward, which is not limited in this disclosure.
[0032] In the control procedure corresponding to the shifting
information of the front derailleur 11, the controller 17 can
obtain a target sprocket at least according to the operational
instruction (step S251). As aforementioned, the shifting
information of the front derailleur 11 can comprise a specified
target sprocket or a sprocket switching instruction. When the
operational instruction indicates a target sprocket, the controller
17 can obtain the target sprocket therefrom. When the operational
instruction indicates a sprocket switching instruction, the
controller 17 can obtain the target sprocket according to this
sprocket switching instruction and the estimated front gear
position (i.e. the current front gear position of the front
derailleur 11 considered by the controller 17) in the estimated
gear position table. In the example where the sprocket group has
the first and second sprockets as aforementioned, when the
operational instruction instructs the front derailleur 11 to switch
to another sprocket and the estimated front gear position indicates
front gear position 3, the controller 17 determines that the target
sprocket indicates the second sprocket since front gear position 3
belongs to the first sprocket.
[0033] In step S252, the controller 17 selects a target front gear
position from the front gear positions belonging to the target
sprocket according to the estimated rear gear position and the gear
position control table. More specifically, the controller 17
searches for the front gear position that belongs to the target
sprocket and has a matching relationship with the estimated rear
gear position from the gear position control table, and sets this
front gear position as the target front gear position. In the
example using Table 1 as the gear position control table, if the
estimated rear gear position is rear gear position 3 and the
controller 17 determines that the target sprocket is the second
sprocket in step S251, the controller 17 can select the front gear
position that has a matching relationship with rear gear position 3
from front positions 4-6, which belonging to the second sprocket.
That is, front gear position 6 is selected. In step S253, the
controller 17 can control the front derailleur 11 to shift
according to the selected target front gear position. The control
signal used by the controller 17 to control the front derailleur 11
to shift can indicate a specified front gear position or the number
of gear positions for shifting forward or backward, which is not
limited in this disclosure.
[0034] In the control procedure corresponding to the shifting
information of the front derailleur 11 and the rear derailleur 13,
the controller 17 can obtain a target sprocket and the target rear
gear position at least according to the operational instruction
(step S351). As aforementioned, the shifting information of the
front derailleur 11 can indicate a specified target sprocket or a
sprocket switching instruction, and the shifting information of the
rear derailleur 13 can indicate a specified target rear gear
position or a rear gear position switching instruction. More
specifically, when the shifting information of the front derailleur
11 in the operational instruction indicates a target sprocket, the
controller 17 can obtain the target sprocket therefrom; when the
shifting information of the front derailleur 11 in the operational
instruction indicates a sprocket switching instruction, the
controller 17 can obtain the target sprocket according to this
sprocket switching instruction and the estimated front gear
position in the estimated gear position table; when the shifting
information of the rear derailleur 13 in the operational
instruction indicates a target rear gear position, the controller
17 can obtain the target rear gear position therefrom; and when the
shifting information of the rear derailleur 13 in the operational
instruction indicates a rear gear position switching instruction,
the controller 17 can obtain the target rear gear position
according to this rear gear position switching instruction and the
estimated rear gear position in the estimated gear position table.
The examples of obtaining the target sprocket/target rear gear
position according to the switching instruction and the estimated
gear position table have the same principles as the examples listed
in the description of the above two control procedures, so they are
not repeated here.
[0035] In step S352, the controller 17 selects a target front gear
position from the front gear positions belonging to the target
sprocket according to the target rear gear position and the gear
position control table. More specifically, the controller 17
searches for the front gear position that belongs to the target
sprocket and has a matching relationship with the target rear gear
position from the gear position control table, and sets this front
gear position as the target front gear position. In the example
using Table 1 as the gear position control table, if the target
sprocket determined in step S351 is the second sprocket and the
target rear gear position is rear gear position 3, the controller
17 can select the front gear position that has a matching
relationship with rear gear position 3 from front positions 4-6,
which belonging to the second sprocket. That is, front gear
position 6 is selected. In step S353, the controller 17 controls
the front derailleur 11 to shift according to the target front gear
position, and controls the rear derailleur 13 to shift according to
the target rear gear position. The control signal used by the
controller 17 to control the derailleur shift can indicate a
specified gear position or the number of gear positions for
shifting forward or backward, which is not limited in this
disclosure.
[0036] It should be noted that although the above embodiment
exemplarily describes that the controller 17 can perform three
types of control procedures, in other embodiments, the controller
17 can be set to merely perform one or two of the three types of
control procedures. In other words, the controller 17 can merely be
triggered by one or two types of operational instructions to
perform the control procedure. In an embodiment where merely one
type of control procedure can be performed, the controller 17 does
not perform the aforementioned determining step S13 but performs a
step of determining whether the operational instruction comprises
the shifting information corresponding to the control procedure.
The controller 17 performs the control procedure when the
determined result is positive, and does nothing when the determined
result is negative.
[0037] In the above embodiments, the controller 17 determines the
operation object indicated by the operational instruction first and
then performs the corresponding control procedure. In another
embodiment, the controller 17 can modify the estimated gear
position table according to the operational instruction first, and
then determine the object to be controlled to shift. Please refer
to FIG. 1, FIG. 4 and Table 1 as above listed, wherein FIG. 4 is a
flow chart of a method for controlling gear positions of
derailleurs according to another embodiment of this disclosure.
[0038] In step S21 in FIG. 4, the controller 17 modifies the
estimated gear position table according to the operational
instruction from the operating device 15. More particularly, when
the operational instruction comprises the shifting information of
the rear derailleur 13, the controller 17 accordingly modifies the
estimated rear gear position. As aforementioned, the shifting
information of the rear derailleur 13 can comprise a specified
target rear gear position or a rear gear position switching
instruction. In an example, when the shifting information of the
rear derailleur 13 indicates that the target rear gear position is
rear gear positions 5, the controller 17 changes the content of the
estimated rear gear position to rear gear position 5; in another
example, when the shifting information of the rear derailleur 13
comprises a switching instruction of taking one rear gear position
backward and the original content of the estimated rear gear
position is rear gear position 6, the controller 17 changes the
content of the estimated rear gear position to rear gear position
5. On the other hand, when the operational instruction comprises
the shifting information of the front derailleur 11, the controller
17 can change the content of the estimated front gear position to
front gear position candidates corresponding to the shifting
information. As aforementioned, the shifting information of the
front derailleur 11 can comprise a specified target sprocket or a
sprocket switching instruction. In the example using Table 1 as the
gear position control table, when the shifting information of the
front derailleur 11 indicates the target sprocket is the first
sprocket, the controller 17 changes the content of the estimated
front gear position to front gear position candidates 1-3; when the
shifting information of the front derailleur 11 comprises a
sprocket switching instruction and the original content of the
estimated front gear position is front gear position 2, the
controller 17 changes the content of the estimated front gear
position to front gear position candidates 4-6.
[0039] In step S23, the controller 17 can determine whether the
estimated gear position table that is modified by step S21 conforms
to the gear position control table. More particularly, when merely
the estimated rear gear position is changed, the controller 17
determines whether the estimated front gear position has a matching
relationship with the changed estimated rear gear position
according to the gear position control table. When the determined
result is positive ("yes"), the controller 17 performs step S25:
controlling the rear derailleur 13 to shift according to the
estimated gear position table; when the determined result is
negative ("no"), the controller 17 performs step S27: further
modifying the estimated gear position table according to the gear
position control table, and the details of the method of further
modifying are described later. On the other hand, when the content
of the estimated front gear position is changed to comprise front
gear position candidates (at this time, the estimated rear gear
position may be unchanged or changed), the controller 17 determines
that the estimated gear position table does not conform to the gear
position control table and performs step S27.
[0040] In step S27, the controller 17 can further modify the
estimated gear position table according to the gear position
control table. More particularly, when merely the estimated rear
gear position is changed, the controller 17 searches for the front
gear position that has a matching relationship with the changed
estimated rear gear position and belongs to the same sprocket as
the estimated front gear position from the estimated gear position
table in order to change the estimated front gear position. In the
example using Table 1 as the gear position control table, when the
content of the estimated rear gear position is changed from rear
gear position 3 to rear gear position 4 and the content of the
estimated front gear position is front gear position 3 originally,
the controller 17 changes the content of the estimated front gear
position to front gear position 2. Moreover, when the content of
the estimated front gear position is changed to comprise front gear
position candidates, regardless of whether the estimated rear gear
position is changed, the controller 17 refers to the estimated gear
position table to select the front gear position that has a
matching relationship with the estimated rear gear position or the
changed estimated rear gear position from the front gear position
candidates to change the estimated front gear position. In the
example using Table 1 as the gear position control table, when the
content of the estimated front gear position comprises front gear
position candidates 1-3 and the content of the estimated rear gear
position is rear gear position 4, the controller 17 further changes
the content of the estimated front gear position to front gear
position 2.
[0041] In step S29, the controller 17 can control one or both of
the front derailleur 11 and the rear derailleur 13 according to the
estimated gear position table further modified by step S27; that
is, the controller 17 can instruct the derailleur whose gear
position is changed to shift. The control signal used by the
controller 17 to control the derailleur to shift can indicate a
specified gear position or the number of gear positions for
shifting forward or backward, which is not limited in this
disclosure.
[0042] In addition to performing the control methods described in
the above embodiments, the controller 17 can capture the shifting
information contained in the operational instruction as two control
signals directly or after initially processed, wherein the two
control signals are respectively a first control signal and a
second control signal, and transmit the first control signal to the
front derailleur 11 and transmit the second control signal to the
rear derailleur 13. The first control signal is associated with the
second control signal, and particularly, the first control signal
and the second control signal comprise the same shifting
information. For a further explanation of this embodiment, please
refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 5 together, wherein FIG. 5 is a functional
block diagram of the front derailleur 11 of the derailleur shifting
system 1 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. In this
embodiment, in addition to the aforementioned derailing component
111, the front derailleur 11 of the derailleur shifting system 1
further comprises a control circuit 113. The control circuit 113 is
connected with the derailing component 111, and configured to
selectively control the derailing component 111 to shift according
to the first control signal and the gear position control table.
Similar to the aforementioned embodiments, this gear position
control table can comprise matching relationships between front
gear positions of the front derailleur 11 (its derailing component
111) and rear gear positions of the rear derailleur 13. More
particularly, the matching relationships indicate the combinations
of the front gear positions and the rear gear positions that do not
cause chain wear, as shown in Table 1 as above listed. The gear
position control table can be stored in a non-volatile memory in
the control circuit 113 or a non-volatile memory connected with the
control circuit 113 in the system.
[0043] In this embodiment, the controller 17 can merely serve as an
intermediary device for transmitting the operational instruction,
that is, generate a first and second control signals each of which
is identical to the operational instruction; or, the controller 17
can preprocess the operational instruction to capture the shifting
information it contains, or convert the signal format of the
operational instruction, and then generate the a first and second
control signals each of which contains the captured shifting
information or the converted operational instruction. Then, the
controller 17 transmits the first control signal and the second
control signal to the front derailleur 11 and the rear derailleur
13 respectively, and the task of referring to the gear position
control table to determine the target gear positions is performed
by the control circuit 113. More particularly, the control circuit
113 can perform the control method similar to that shown in FIG. 3.
Please refer to FIG. 1, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, wherein FIG. 6 is a flow
chart of a method for controlling gear positions of derailleurs
according to yet another embodiment of this disclosure.
[0044] In steps S12 and S14 in FIG. 6, the control circuit 113
receives the first control signal from the controller 17, and
determines whether the first control signal indicates shifting
information of the front derailleur 11, the rear derailleur 13 or
both of them. For different determined results, the control circuit
113 can perform different determining procedures of the target
front gear position correspondingly. As shown in FIG. 6, when the
first control signal indicates the shifting information of the rear
derailleur 13 (determined result RD), the corresponding determining
procedure of the target front gear position can comprise steps
S161-S164; when the first control signal indicates the shifting
information of the front derailleur 11 (determined result FD), the
corresponding determining procedure of the target front gear
position can comprise steps S261-S262; and when the first control
signal indicates the shifting information of both the front
derailleur 11 and the rear derailleur 13 (determined result
FD&RD), the corresponding determining procedure of the target
front gear position can comprise steps S361-S362. After determining
the target front gear position, in step S18, the control circuit
113 controls the derailing component 111 to shift according to the
determined target front gear position. The control signal used by
the control circuit 113 to control the derailing component 111 to
shift can indicate a specified gear position or the number of gear
positions for shifting forward or backward, which is not limited in
this disclosure. Each of these determining procedures of the target
front gear position is further described in the following.
[0045] In step S161 in the determining procedure of the target
front gear position corresponding to the shifting information of
the rear derailleur 13, the control circuit 113 can obtain a target
rear gear position at least according to the first control signal.
As aforementioned, the shifting information of the rear derailleur
13 can comprise a specified target rear gear position or a rear
gear position switching instruction. When the first control signal
indicates a specified target rear gear position, the control
circuit 113 can obtain the target rear gear position therefrom.
When the first control signal indicates a rear gear position
switching instruction, control circuit 113 can obtain the target
rear gear position according to this rear gear position switching
instruction and an estimated rear gear position of the rear
derailleur 13. More particularly, the control circuit 113 can have
a non-volatile memory to record the estimated rear gear position.
The estimated rear gear position can be set to a default value when
the system leaves the factory, and represent the gear position of
the rear derailleur 13 that is preset when the system leaves the
factory. The control circuit 113 can change the value of the
estimated rear gear position according to the received control
signal after leaving the factory.
[0046] In step S162, the control circuit 113 determines whether the
current front gear position of the front derailleur 11 conforms to
the gear position control table according to the target rear gear
position. More specifically, the current front gear position can be
an estimated front gear position, and its setting and storage
location have the same principles as those of the estimated rear
gear position as aforementioned; or, the current front gear
position can be the actual front gear position that corresponds to
the derailing component 111 and is obtained from the derailing
component 111 by the control circuit 13 at that time. For example,
the control circuit 113 can have a gear position detector to obtain
the front gear position to which the derailing component 11
actually corresponds. The control circuit 113 can determine whether
the current front gear position is the front gear position having a
matching relationship with the rear gear position indicated by the
target rear gear position according to the gear position control
table. When the determined result is positive ("yes"), indicating
that the current front gear position matches the target rear gear
position, the control circuit 113 does nothing (step S163) without
adjusting the front derailleur 11. When the determined result is
negative ("no"), the control circuit 113 selects a target front
gear position from the front gear positions according to the target
rear gear position and the gear position control table (step S164).
In particular, the control circuit 113 preferably selects the front
gear position that belongs to the same sprocket as the current
front gear position to be the target front gear position. The
operation principles of the above steps S161-S164 are the same as
those of the steps S151-S154 performed by the controller 17 as
aforementioned, so the example with actual values are not described
here.
[0047] In the determining procedure of the target front gear
position corresponding to the shifting information of the front
derailleur 11, the control circuit 113 can obtain a target sprocket
at least according to the first control signal (step S261). As
aforementioned, the shifting information of the front derailleur 11
can comprise a specified target sprocket or a sprocket switching
instruction. When the first control signal indicates a target
sprocket, the control circuit 113 can obtain the target sprocket
therefrom. When the first control signal indicates a sprocket
switching instruction, the control circuit 113 can obtain the
target sprocket according to this sprocket switching instruction
and the current front gear position of the derailleur 11. In step
S262, the control circuit 113 selects a target front gear position
from the front gear positions belonging to the target sprocket
according to the estimated rear gear position and the gear position
control table. More specifically, the control circuit 113 searches
for the front gear position that belongs to the target sprocket and
has a matching relationship with the estimated rear gear position
from the gear position control table, and sets this front gear
position as the target front gear position. In particular, the
operation principles of the above steps S261-S262 are the same as
those of the steps S251-S252 performed by the controller 17 as
aforementioned, so the example with actual values are not described
here.
[0048] In the determining procedure of the target front gear
position corresponding to the shifting information of the front
derailleur 11 and the rear derailleur 13, the control circuit 113
can obtain a target sprocket and a target rear gear position at
least according to the first control signal (step S361). As
aforementioned, the shifting information of the front derailleur 11
can indicate a specified target sprocket or a sprocket switching
instruction, and the shifting information of the rear derailleur 13
can indicate a specified target rear gear position or a rear gear
position switching instruction. More specifically, when the
shifting information of the front derailleur 11 in the first
control signal indicates a target sprocket, the control circuit 113
can obtain the target sprocket therefrom; when the shifting
information of the front derailleur 11 in the first control signal
indicates a sprocket switching instruction, the control circuit 113
can obtain the target sprocket according to this sprocket switching
instruction and the current front gear position of the front
derailleur 11; when the shifting information of the rear derailleur
13 in the first control signal indicates a target rear gear
position, the control circuit 113 can obtain the target rear gear
position therefrom; and when the shifting information of the rear
derailleur 13 in the first control signal indicates a rear gear
position switching instruction, the control circuit 113 can obtain
the target rear gear position according to this rear gear position
switching instruction and the estimated rear gear position in the
estimated gear position table. The examples of obtaining the target
sprocket/target rear gear position according to the switching
instruction and the current front gear position/the estimated rear
gear position have the same principles as the examples listed in
the description of the above two determining procedures of the
target front gear position, so they are not repeated here. In step
S362, the control circuit 113 selects a target front gear position
from the front gear positions belonging to the target sprocket
according to the target rear gear position and the gear position
control table. More specifically, the control circuit 113 searches
for the front gear position that belongs to the target sprocket and
has a matching relationship with the target rear gear position from
the gear position control table, and sets this front gear position
as the target front gear position.
[0049] It should be noted that although the above embodiment
exemplarily describes that the control circuit 113 can perform
three types of determining procedures of the target front gear
position, in other embodiments, the control circuit 113 can be set
to merely perform one or two of the three types of determining
procedures of the target front gear position. In other words, the
control circuit 113 can merely be triggered by one or two types of
first control signals to perform the determining procedure of the
target front gear position. In an embodiment where merely one type
of determining procedure of the target front gear position can be
performed, the control circuit 113 does not perform the
aforementioned step S14 but performs a step of determining whether
the first control signal comprises the shifting information
corresponding to the determining procedure of the target front gear
position. The control circuit 113 performs the determining
procedure of the target front gear position when the determined
result is positive, and does nothing when the determined result is
negative.
[0050] By the above description, the derailleur shifting system 1
can control the front and rear derailleurs 11 and 13 to shift
according to the matching relationships between the front and rear
gear positions, without waiting for the rear derailleur 13 to
return the actual gear position, when receiving an operational
instruction. Therefore, it may avoid chain wear caused since the
rear derailleur 13 shifts first and then returns the actual gear
position. Moreover, it is not necessary to set a gear position in
the aforementioned derailleur shifting system 1 detector for
returning the actual gear positions, and accordingly, the hardware
cost of the system may be reduced.
[0051] This disclosure also provides another type of derailleur
shifting system. Please refer to FIG. 7 that is a functional block
diagram of a derailleur shifting system 1' according to another
embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in FIG. 7, similar to the
derailleur shifting system 1 in FIG. 1 as aforementioned, the
derailleur shifting system 1' comprises a front derailleur 11, a
rear derailleur 13, an operating device 15 and a controller 17, and
is also applied to a bicycle. The connections between the above
devices, the operation of each device and the location of each
device on a bicycle are all as described in the embodiments
associated with the derailleur shifting system 1. More
particularly, the controller 17 can also perform the control
methods shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. Moreover, the front derailleur
11 of the derailleur shifting system 1' can comprise the control
circuit 113 shown in FIG. 5, and the control circuit 113 can
perform the control method shown in FIG. 6. The related details are
as described in the aforementioned embodiments, so they are not
repeated here.
[0052] In addition to the above devices, the derailleur shifting
system 1' further comprises a gear position detector 19 with wired
or wireless connections with the rear derailleur 13 and the
controller 17. For example, the gear position detector 19 is an
encoder and can obtain an actual gear position of the rear
derailleur 13. The gear position detector 19 and the rear
derailleur 13 can be integrated and disposed on/in the cogset of
the bicycle or other parts of the bicycle, which is not limited in
this disclosure. When the connection between the controller 17 and
the front derailleur 11 or the connection between the controller 17
and the rear derailleur 13 is broken, the controller 17 may
continue receiving operational instructions and controlling the
derailleur whose connection with the controller 17 is not broken.
As a result, the relationship between the derailleur with the
unbroken connection and the derailleur with the broken connection
must not be matching and chain wear is caused. The gear position
detector 19 can regularly provide the actual gear position of the
rear derailleur 13 (hereinafter referred to as "actual rear gear
position") to the controller 17, or provide the actual rear gear
position to the controller 17 when the rear derailleur 13 is
controlled to shift. Or, when the controller 17 determines that its
connection with the derailleur is changed from a broken status to
an unbroken status, the controller 17 can request the actual rear
gear position from the gear position detector 19. More
particularly, when the connection between the derailleur and the
controller 17 is restored, the derailleur can generate a feedback
signal and transmit it to the controller 17, and the controller 17
can then determine that their connection is restored.
[0053] Please refer to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 together to describe the
control method performed when the derailleur shifting system 1'
receives the actual rear gear position, wherein FIG. 8 is a flow
chart of a method for controlling gear positions of derailleurs
according to yet another embodiment of this disclosure. In step S31
and step S33, after receiving the actual rear gear position, the
controller 17 can determine whether the actual rear gear position
conforms to the estimated gear position table. More particularly,
the controller 17 can determine whether the actual rear gear
position is identical to the estimated rear gear position in the
estimated gear position table. If they are identical, the actual
rear gear position conforms to the estimated gear position table;
if they are not identical, the actual rear gear position does not
conform to the estimated gear position table. When the determined
result of step S33 indicates conformity ("yes"), the controller 17
does nothing in step S35. When the determined result of step S33
indicates nonconformity ("no"), the controller 17 can further
determine whether the relationship between the actual rear gear
position and the estimated front gear position conforms to the gear
position control table in step S37, that is, the controller 17 can
determine whether the actual rear gear position matches the
estimated front gear position, wherein the further explanation of
this determining step has the same principle as that in the
aforementioned embodiment, so it is not repeated here. When the
determined result of step S37 indicates conformity ("yes"), the
controller 17 does nothing. When the determined result of step S37
indicates nonconformity ("no"), the controller 17 can control the
front derailleur 11 or the rear derailleur 13 to shift so as to
make the relationship between the actual rear gear position and the
estimated front gear position conform to the gear position control
table in step S39.
[0054] More particularly, after the control method of FIG. 3 or
FIG. 4 as aforementioned, the relationship between the estimated
front gear position and the estimated rear gear position in the
estimated gear position table of the controller 17 should conform
to one of the matching relationships in the gear position control
table. Therefore, when the controller 17 determines that the actual
rear gear position does not match the estimated front gear
position, the controller 17 can control the rear derailleur 13 to
shift to the estimated rear gear position, so as to make the actual
rear gear position match the estimated front gear position; or, the
controller 17 can control the front derailleur 11 to shift
according to the actual rear gear position and the gear position
control table, and more specifically, the controller 17 can search
for the front gear position that belongs to the same sprocket as
the estimated front gear position and has a matching relationship
with the actual rear gear position from the gear position control
table, and instruct the front derailleur 11 to shift to this front
gear position.
[0055] Moreover, in an embodiment where the front derailleur 11 of
the derailleur shifting system 1' comprises the control circuit 113
as shown in FIG. 5, the controller 17 can merely transfer the
actual rear gear position to the control circuit 113 of the front
derailleur 11 rather than perform the control method of FIG. 8 as
aforementioned. In this embodiment, the control circuit 113 can
perform a control method similar to that of FIG. 8, with the
difference that the control circuit 113 uses the current front gear
position (which can be the estimated front gear position or the
actual front gear position as aforementioned) of the front
derailleur 11 to perform the determining step and selectively
controls the derailing component 111 to shift according to the
determined result, so as to make the relationship between the
actual rear gear position and the current front gear position
conform to the gear position control table. The detailed
determining method has the same principle as that of FIG. 8 as
aforementioned, so it is not repeated here.
[0056] The above embodiments at least provide the derailleur
shifting system comprising a controller (as shown in FIG. 1,
hereinafter referred to as the first derailleur shifting system),
the derailleur shifting system comprising a controller and a front
derailleur with a control circuit (as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5,
hereinafter referred to as the second derailleur shifting system),
the derailleur shifting system comprising a controller and a gear
position detector (as shown in FIG. 7, hereinafter referred to as
the third derailleur shifting system) and the derailleur shifting
system comprising a controller, a front derailleur with a control
circuit, and a gear position detector (as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG.
5, hereinafter referred to as the fourth derailleur shifting
system). For a further explanation of the bicycles applicable to
the above systems, please refer to FIGS. 9A-9C together, wherein
FIG. 9A-9C are schematic diagrams of signal transmission of
bicycles 2, 2' and 2'' according to multiple embodiments of this
disclosure. As shown in FIGS. 9A-9C, each of the bicycle 2, 2' and
2'' comprises a left handlebar 21, a right handlebar 23, a front
speed change group 25 and a rear speed change group 27. It should
be noted that the front speed change group 25 and the rear speed
change group 27 shown in FIGS. 9A-9C respectively refer to the area
where the sprocket group is disposed on/in the bicycle frame (e.g.
the frame area connected to the pedal) and the area where the
cogset is disposed on/in the bicycle frame (e.g. the frame area
connected to the rear wheel). The mechanisms of these components
and the mechanical connections between one another can be the same
as those of a general bicycle or designed according to actual
requirements, and they are not limited in this disclosure.
[0057] In the bicycle 2 shown in FIG. 9A, the right handlebar 23
can communicate with the left handlebar 21, and the left handlebar
21 can communicate with the front speed change group 25 and the
rear speed change group 27 respectively. The above-mentioned first,
second, third and fourth derailleur shifting systems are applicable
to the bicycle 2 shown in FIG. 9A. For the first and second
derailleur shifting systems, the front derailleur can be disposed
in the front speed change group 25 for slightly adjusting the
position of the chain or switching the chain to mesh with different
sprocket; the rear derailleur can be disposed in the rear speed
change group 27 for switching the chain to mesh with different
sprocket; the operating device can be disposed on/in the right
handlebar 23, or comprise two operating components respectively
disposed on/in the left and right handlebars 21 and 23; the
controller can be disposed on/in the left handlebar 21 or the right
handlebar 23. For the third and fourth derailleur shifting systems,
the suitable setting locations of the front derailleur, the rear
derailleur, the operating device and the controller are the same as
those for the first and second derailleur shifting systems, and the
gear position detector is disposed in the rear speed change group
27.
[0058] Moreover, as shown in FIG. 9A, the left handlebar 21, the
right handlebar 23, the front speed change group 25 and the rear
speed change group 27 of the bicycle 2 can also comprise wireless
communication units 211, 231, 251 and 271 and controllers 213, 233,
253 and 273 respectively. For example, each of the wireless
communication units 211, 231, 251 and 271 can be a signal
transceiver using a wireless communication technology such as
infrared communication technology (e.g. RC-5, VFIR, UFIR, etc.),
Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, ZigBee, ANT, wireless LAN, etc.
The controllers 213, 233, 253 and 273 can connect with each other
using a wired or wireless method and together form the
aforementioned controller of the first, second, third or fourth
derailleur shifting system. It should be noted that the wireless
communication units 211, 231, 251 and 271 illustrated in FIG. 9A
are optional components, the controllers 213 and 233 can be
disposed alternatively, and the controllers 253 and 273 are
optional components.
[0059] In the bicycle 2' shown in FIG. 9B, the left handlebar 21
and the right handlebar 23 can each communicate with the front
speed change group 25, and the front speed change group 25 can
communicate with the rear speed change group 27. The
above-mentioned first, second, third and fourth derailleur shifting
systems are applicable to the bicycle 2' shown in FIG. 9B. For the
first and second derailleur shifting systems, the front derailleur
can be disposed in the front speed change group 25 for slightly
adjusting the position of the chain or switching the chain to mesh
with different sprocket; the rear derailleur can be disposed in the
front speed change group 27 for switching the chain to mesh with
different sprocket; the operating device comprises two operating
components respectively disposed on/in the left and right
handlebars 21 and 23; the controller is disposed in the front speed
change group 25. For the third and fourth derailleur shifting
systems, the suitable setting locations of the front derailleur,
the rear derailleur, the operating device and the controller are
the same as those for the first and second derailleur shifting
systems, and the gear position detector is disposed in the rear
speed change group 27.
[0060] Moreover, as shown in FIG. 9B, the left handlebar 21, the
right handlebar 23, the front speed change group 25 and the front
speed change group 27 of the bicycle 2' can also comprise wireless
communication units 211, 231, 251 and 271 and controllers 213, 233,
253 and 273 respectively. For example, each of the wireless
communication units 211, 231, 251 and 271 can be a signal
transceiver using a wireless communication technology such as
infrared communication technology (e.g. RC-5, VFIR, UFIR, etc.),
Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, ZigBee, ANT, wireless LAN, etc.
The controllers 213, 233, 253 and 273 can connect with each other
using a wired or wireless method and together form the
aforementioned controller of the first, second, third or fourth
derailleur shifting system. It should be noted that the wireless
communication units 211, 231, 251 and 271 illustrated in FIG. 9B
are optional components, and the controllers 213, 233 and 273 are
also optional components.
[0061] In the bicycle 2'' shown in FIG. 9C, the right handlebar 23
can communicate with the left handlebar 21, the left handlebar 21
can communicate with the front speed change group 25, and the front
speed change group 25 can communicate with the rear speed change
group 27. The above-mentioned first, second, third and fourth
derailleur shifting systems are applicable to the bicycle 2'' shown
in FIG. 9C. For the first and second derailleur shifting systems,
the front derailleur can be disposed in the front speed change
group 25 for slightly adjusting the position of the chain or
switching the chain to mesh with different sprocket; the rear
derailleur can be disposed in the front speed change group 27 for
switching the chain to mesh with different sprocket; the operating
device can be disposed on/in the right handlebar 23, or comprise
two operating components respectively disposed on/in the left and
right handlebars 21 and 23; the controller is disposed on/in the
left handlebar 21 or in the front speed change group 25. For the
third and fourth derailleur shifting systems, the suitable setting
locations of the front derailleur, the rear derailleur, the
operating device and the controller are the same as those for the
first and second derailleur shifting systems, and the gear position
detector is disposed in the rear speed change group 27.
[0062] Moreover, as shown in FIG. 9C, the left handlebar 21, the
right handlebar 23, the front speed change group 25 and the front
speed change group 27 of the bicycle 2'' can also comprise wireless
communication units 211, 231, 251 and 271 and controllers 213, 233,
253 and 273 respectively. For example, each of the wireless
communication units 211, 231, 251 and 271 can be a signal
transceiver using a wireless communication technology such as
infrared communication technology (e.g. RC-5, VFIR, UFIR, etc.),
Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, ZigBee, ANT, wireless LAN, etc.
The controllers 213, 233, 253 and 273 can connect with each other
using a wired or wireless method and together form the
aforementioned controller of the first, second, third or fourth
derailleur shifting system. It should be noted that the wireless
communication units 211, 231, 251 and 271 illustrated in FIG. 9C
are optional components, the controllers 213 and 253 can be
disposed alternatively, and the controllers 233 and 273 are
optional components.
[0063] In view of the above statement, when the derailleur shifting
system provided in this disclosure receives an operational
instruction, it may immediately refer to the matching relationships
between the front gear positions and the rear gear positions to
control the front derailleur and/or the rear derailleur to shift,
without waiting for the rear derailleur to return the actual gear
position. Therefore, it may achieve a real-time gear position
control, and avoid chain wear caused since the rear derailleur
shifts first and then returns the actual gear position. Moreover,
this disclosure also provides a derailleur shifting system with a
gear position detector, and when operating or restored from
disconnection, this derailleur shifting system can determine the
actual gear position of the rear derailleur, and refer to the
matching relationships between the front gear positions and the
rear gear positions to control the front derailleur and/or the rear
derailleur to shift to the gear position that may not cause chain
wear.
* * * * *